On Wednesday, 27th November, Year 4 took a trip to the Hellenic Cosmos in Tavros, to visit the Salvador Dali exhibition as part of their Year 4 Art curriculum. This exhibition in its interactive form could not fail to inspire and fill the children with awe as they immersed themselves in their surroundings. 

The children were excited to become one with the art around them, and it was truly wonderful to see how such experiences inspire and ignite their curiosity and creativity. All agreed it was well worth seeing and believe it will spur on their own creativity at home and in school.

During the weekend, Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th of October sixteen pupils participated in the Campion School MUN, representing our school, and making us very proud for their dedication and impeccable behaviour. This time we had two pupils serving as Chairs of Committees, Konstantinos Zafeirakis in the GA3 Committee (Social, Cultural and Humanitarian Committee) and Penny Farmakidi in the WHO Committee (World Health Organisation) but also many pupils of Year 7 who very bravely took part in what was a very long weekend for them, a real achievement for pupils so young!

And they are all excited and ready for the upcoming participations in the Costeas-Geitonas School CGSMUN and the St Catherine’s SCMUN! No doubt these will be as successful and rewarding experiences as the first one of this academic year was. Well done to all participants!

Without a doubt, connecting science to day-to-day life is essential in promoting a deeper understanding of the world, as well as enabling pupils to become critical citizens. This year, year 8 pupils worked on controversial social and environmental issues relevant to the science curriculum. They did so by carrying out projects on topics of their own choice, in which they constructed mind maps; solved ethical dilemmas; engaged in secondary and primary research. Finally, they utilised knowledge gained to carry out actions with the aim of contributing to the raising of awareness. An example of this is a leaflet on fast food and a leaflet on smoking/vaping, which can be accessed using the highlighted links. The action materials were presented in class and attracted an audience of fellow pupils who came to engage with the presentations. 

Congratulations to everyone!

Our annual Year 6 Milias Camps residential trips were hugely enjoyable experiences for our Year 6 leavers this June. The teachers and children set off to the foot of Mount Parnassos for a three-day adventure in the fresh mountain air. They settled into comfy cabins and were taken on excursions including exhilarating river trekking and hiking. The children particularly loved pool time and many learned archery and practised new climbing skills under the watchful eye of experienced coaches Georgie and Carolina. They cycled around the locality with Ion and Manolis and those less confident on two wheels were even given cycling lessons – core memories of camp! 

In May this term, we were very lucky indeed to be visited by the Vari Fire station crew who taught many of our young children about fire safety at home. The children from our Early Years FS1 & FS2 classes, Reception and Years 1 and 2 were shown how to evacuate a smoky space. They learned the phone number – 112 – to call in an emergency. They learned about the danger of matches, electrical appliances and they even got to wear a hardhat and hold onto a water hose from a fire truck and work with a real-life fire fighter!

We are thrilled to announce that our school was proudly represented by pupils from Years 4, 5, and 9 at this year’s No Finish Line event held at OAKA on Thursday, May 16th, and Friday, May 17th.
A total of 223 of our pupils and teachers participated with immense joy and enthusiasm, contributing to the biggest charity run for children in need. Our school's dedication and spirit were truly remarkable.
Our school finished in 5th place out of 24 participating schools and 12th out of 112 teams, accumulating an incredible total of 1,733 kilometres.
A huge congratulations and well done to everyone who came and gave it their all during this event! Your hard work and commitment have made a significant impact.
 

On 24th and 25th April, our youngest pupils in Early Years and Reception classes had tremendous fun in their presentation days for families and friends. The children demonstrated a wide variety of exercises which they had prepared for this term in their action packed PE lessons. 

Additionally, these Early Years children dazzled the audience with a sweet dance choreography crafted by Ms. Katsogianni. The whole event was a delightful celebration of their progress and their commitment to staying active and healthy!

Thank you to all the parents who joined us and supported their children.

During the spring term, the Years 4, 5, and 6 Charity Ninjas embarked on the ‘Freerice Group Challenge’, a trivia game with a humanitarian twist. Armed with tablets and determination, pupils competed to answer questions, earning 10 grains of rice for each correct response to support the United Nations' World Food Programme. After four weeks of spirited competition, the Year 4 team emerged victorious, donating an impressive 60,670 grains of rice. Their success highlights their commitment to global citizenship and making a meaningful impact on the world. Congratulations once again to our Charity Ninjas for their outstanding achievement!

On a sunny Friday morning this Spring, the Year 3 children were very lucky to have four special visitors come to their classrooms. The children were delighted to see and learn all about the habits, needs and appearance of these baby rabbits which are actually known as “kittens”.

The children sat calmly and asked our 'bunny experts', their responsible and knowledgeable owners, many questions about caring for such young creatures. They were the cutest little visitors Year 3 has ever had!

The work of Ioannis Kapodistrias was revived this year at our school celebration on Friday 22nd March to commemorate the anniversary of 25th March, and to celebrate the liberation of Greece.
Year 6 pupils reminded us of the important moments in history, as captured through the struggle of Kapodistrias to restore the Greek state and to organize education with strong foundations.

The school choir sang traditional songs and our pupils from both the junior and senior schools collaborated to present traditional Greek dances. We could not be more proud of our school community which upholds the Greek ethos and supports us in building the future whilst celebrating the past.

On Thursday, 8th February, our Year 3 and Year 4 pupils went on an outing to the Neos Akadimos Theatre in the centre of Athens. They were there to see the play “Magas” by Penelopi Delta, one of the greatest Greek writers. It tells the story of a small dog who, through comic episodes and adventurous twists, is confronted with truth and lies, right and wrong, and the value of friendship, having to decide to confront injustice together with the people he loves.

The children enjoyed the play very much and relished the experience of attending a live theatre performance. Learning inside and outside the classroom – it all counts!

On Thursday 25^th January, the Greek Department organised an outing to Katerina Vasilakou Theatre in the centre of Athens for our Year 5 and Year 6 pupils. The pupils watched the play “A child counts the stars” by Menelaos Loudemis, one of the greatest Greek writers and poets. The play presented the desire and the efforts of a poor child to be educated, and revealed timely messages such as acceptance of diversity, freedom of opinion, children's right to equal opportunity in education, etc. All our pupils enjoyed this play having enriched both their cultural and linguistic experience.

On Friday 8th December, Year 2 enjoyed a fun-filled day at the XPLORE Entertainment Center in Athens, as part of their science curriculum: Animals & their Habitats. Learning is always so much fun when it’s taken out of the classroom and our pupils thoroughly enjoyed their time in the aquarium, which is home to over 2,000 different kinds of fish. Ask them anything about animals that live under the sea and what they do there, and they’ll have lots to say! They also visited the science section, where they investigated basic scientific ideas through experiential play. It was one of their most memorable days in Year 2 so far!  

With university application season in full swing, the first half of term saw several experts from the UK and US visit our school to discuss options both with Year 13s and with Year 12s who are just starting to seriously consider life after St. Lawrence College. At a mini university fair and presentation, representatives from four UK universities were on hand to talk to pupils both collectively and on an individual basis, giving them guidance and advice. This was followed just before the half-term break by a visit from a representative of St. Andrew’s whose interesting talk helped pupils understand why this university is one of the highest regarded in the UK. With the US becoming increasingly popular amongst our pupils, we were also pleased to be able to host a representative from Boston University who talked to pupils and also did a workshop with teachers on writing effective references.

At St Lawrence College, we believe in fostering responsibility for learning as well as responsibility for each other at all levels. For this reason, we have important posts of responsibility across the school. We recently selected this year's House Captains for Attica, Epirus and Macedonia from an enthusiastic Year 6 cohort. These pupils applied for the position and were chosen due to their being diligent, considerate and very friendly individuals. Congratulations to them all!